Grambling State picked up the 62-57 victory over Florida A&M Monday night. (Grambling State photo)

The Grambling State University men’s basketball team earned a hard-fought 62-57 victory over Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) opponent Florida A&M on Monday night at the Fredrick C. Hobdy Assembly Center.

GSU (10-6 overall, 3-1 SWAC) who trailed by four points at halftime, used a strong second half performance on both ends of the court to push past FAMU (2-12, 0-3).

Shawdarius Cowart put forth another strong scoring effort for the Tigers, pacing Grambling State with 18 points on 6-of-13 shooting from the field and 5-of-9 from the free throw line.  He also snagged five rebounds, three steals, two assists and one block. 

GSU got off to a hot start, racing out to a 14-4 lead. A 10-4 run by the Rattlers pulled FAMU right back to the Tigers’ bumper, cutting Grambling State’s lead to 18-16 with under 10 minutes to go in the first half. A pair of free throws by Dimingus Stevens gave Florida A&M its first lead of the game, 25-23 with 6:08 to go in the half. The Rattlers maintained the lead the rest of the half.

Grambling State’s Virshon Cotton tied the game at 40-40 on a layup at the 14:28 mark of the second half. Back-to-back free throws by Cowart pushed GSU ahead 42-40. After FAMU’s Byron Smith drained a 3-pointer to giving the Rattlers 50-47 lead, a free throw by Cowart and a 3-pointer by Cameron Christon gave the Tigers a slim 51-50 advantage with 8:58 to play. 

Chase Barrs made a layup and converted a free throw, putting FAMU back on top 53-51. Jourdan Smith responded with a clutch shot of his own, tying the game 53-53 with 8:07 left. 

GSU took the lead for good, 55-53, with 6:57 to go on a jumper by Cowart. The Rattler couldn’t trim the lead any lower than two points the rest of the way. 

Up next, Grambling State travels to Baton Rouge to take arch-rival Southern University. Tip off is set for 3 p.m. at the F.G. Clark Activity Center.